Upon arriving in Santiago, the pilgrim has a series of rituals and places to visit that have become traditional: visiting the cathedral, giving the Saint a hug, taking the proverbial photo in the Plaza del Obradoiro... But Santiago is a city with many hidden treasures that are worth discovering, and today we are going to talk about one of them.
The monastery of San Martín Pinario, located near the cathedral, is the second largest monastery in Spain, and was founded in the XNUMXth century by the Benedictine order. The current building dates from the XNUMXth century, so it is Renaissance and Baroque in style.
One of the most spectacular elements of the complex is the vault of the church, with false coffers. Another interesting element is the altarpiece of the main altar, created in the XNUMXth century by Casas y Novoa (the architect of the Obradoiro façade in the cathedral), and which shows San Martín (sharing his cloak with a poor man), and San Millán de la Cogolla and Santiago at war with the infidels.
Another interesting detail is that the church towers rise only to the height of the façade, due to the influence of the cathedral chapter, which was opposed to a taller tower that would reduce its visibility.
Currently, the monastery houses a museum of sacred art, with an important collection of goldsmiths, sculptures and manuscripts.
